A method for improving the stress analysis performance of one- and two-dimensional theories for laminated composites (Q1384736)

This paper is essentially addressed to an improved elastic analysis of the stress and displacement fields in layered orthotropic beams and plates. The general five-degrees-of-freedom shear deformable plate theory is employed in the linear static analysis. First, the authors study the cylindrical bending of a simply supported, two-layered orthotropic beam. Next, the stress analysis is carried out for an elastic plate deformed in cylindrical bending and having both of their edges simply supported. The results are in good agreement with exact elasticity solutions, though the ratio between the thickness and length of plate, \(h/L=0.25\) is inadequate in mathematically modeling a continuum as a plate. In further examples, the stress and displacement distributions are analyzed in a two-layered orthotropic homogeneous plate with various boundary conditions. This is a paper which certainly appeal to researchers and engineers working on solutions of elastic plates and shells.